Heading into the 2014 NFL Draft on May 8, we'll be profiling some of the top players that project to be a good fit with for the New England Patriots. The series continues today with Missouri defensive end Michael Sam. Click here to see the full series.

Missouri DE Michael Sam is one of the most controversial players in the 2013 NFL Draft class. It's not surprising. How often do you see a player that dominated the SEC to the extent that Sam did (11.5 sacks, 19 TFL last season) face so many questions about how he'll transition to the NFL game?

With the Tigers, Sam was a force off he edge with a great burst, which combined with a knack for relentless pursuit, led to a lot of production and eventual SEC co-Defensive Player of the Year honors.

The issues with Sam are two-fold: First, he's small to be a 4-3 defensive end, the position that best suits his skill set. Second, he's an average athlete at best and struggles when he's doing anything outside coming off the edge or shooting a gap. The latter issue is fine for a defensive end, but those size concerns have some teams to look at him as a 3-4 outside linebacker.

Sam is a definite tweener. At some point, he has to prove he can overcome one of those shortcomings in his transition to the NFL.

Prospect Breakdown

(Pro day update: Sam's performance at Missouri's pro day was very encouraging for the Tigers prospect. His unofficial 4.73-second 40-yard dash is a big improvement from the 4.91 he posted at the combine. What does this change? Not much other than outside perception, particularly in quieting a couple of his critics.)

Sam, whose profile has been raised in recent months, has been picked apart about as much as any player outside of South Carolina DE Jadeveon Clowney. As a result, I've been getting the sense that he's been unfairly picked apart because he's not a dynamic prospect like Clowney.

Sam isn't a first round talent -- never was. He's a solid Day 3 pick that does one thing really well: crashing off the edge.

Lining up primarily on the offense's right, Sam was a great complement to projected first-round pick Kony Ealy on the other side. Against what are usually less athletic right tackles, Sam's burst out of his stance stood out. He turned a lot of players into turnstiles off the edge, gaining a step and then using leverage to bend and get to the quarterback. This play against Florida is a great example of how he simply uses a first step, a rip move and nice bend to get around the edge.

However, the play was against Gators right tackle Tyler Moore, who, as the rest of the game showed, didn't have a shot against a good edge rusher. Sam had three sacks in that game against Florida, and also picked up three sacks a piece in his games against Arkansas State and Vanderbilt. This has lead to yet another criticism of Sam, that most of his sacks came in the weakest stretches of an otherwise strong schedule.

Sam doesn't have spectacular power or pass rushing moves, he just gets into the backfield through solid fundamentals. His burst off the line is good, but not elite. The difference for Sam is that, when he gets in a good position, he bends and uses leverage well to get around the corner more than your usual speed rusher. The problem with Sam is that, when he doesn't get a step on a tackle, he can get pushed out of the play and doesn't have much to fall back on.

When doing anything other than trying to get to the QB off the edge, though, Sam doesn't have the same impact.

At the point of attack, Sam is a liability, which will limit his usefulness for NFL teams on first and second down. When facing a lineman head up in the run game, he doesn't make many plays. He can, though, use his quickness to slant and stunt his way into gaps and make plays. However, if opposing lineman keep their balance and pick him up, he can get washed out of a play.

With his size, some teams may be tempted to try him out as a 3-4 outside linebacker. However, his workouts and Senior Bowl practices have shown scouts that he just doesn't have the athleticism in open space. His 4.91-second 40-yard dash and 7.80-second 3-cone drill at the scouting combine did little to sway minds in that area.

Sam could fit into that type of scheme well, but only as a linebacker by name, similar to the way the Buffalo Bills use former first round pick Jerry Hughes, who has a similar frame, as a situational pass rusher in their 3-4 scheme.

Where would he fit in New England?

The Patriots, meanwhile, mostly run a 4-3, though they do mix in other looks. In Bill Belichick's defense he'd mostly valued as an undersized pass rush specialist. That's not a knock on Sam. The defense badly needs one of those.

Youngsters Michael Buchanan and Jake Bequette have yet to fill that role, and the late-season addition of Andre Carter didn't provide that much of a presence, either. It feels strange to say it now, but the Patriots really need another Mark Anderson, a guy who can be effective in passing situations, but is miscast when playing all three downs.

Where could the Patriots draft him?

Sam's stock has been hovering around a third or fourth-round value for a while, though disappointing workouts may have dented it a bit. In a deep draft like this one that features a number of quality options later in the draft, Sam might be available as late as Round 5 or Round 6.